Cigarette-case.



P. S. ODONNELL.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.12, 1914.

1,131,856, Patented Mar.l6,1915.

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mrrucx s. o'normmcr cmcsco, rumors, ssreironnr gssremrnnrs, r0 AUTOMATIC MAGAZINE cromsrrs sex co, or cmcgeo, mirrors, a con PORATION 0TB ILLINOIS.

CIGARETTE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Eatcnt.

Patented-Mar. M33, il3 1l5 Application filed March 12, 1914. filo. $24,258.

To all whom it ma concern:

Beit known t at I, PATRICK S. ODo N-' NELL, a subject of the King of .Great Britain, residing-at Chicago, in the county of Cook ,and State of ,Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1 n Cigarette-Casesof which the followlng 1s a specification.

'.l;his invention-relates to cases or holders ion oontaining cigarettes or cigars and has for, its maimobject to provide a simple, convenient, and, easily manipulated case or holder; that willcompletely protect the articles from. iniury, that can be conveniently .carriedin the po k oft e. user, and that will facilitatethe Withdrawal of the artiles'. sucee sirelyas se I0 this ,end the invention comprises essentially a box, containing a spring-actuatedfollower acting laterally upon a row of cigarettes therein, and an ejector for withdrawing ,the foremost cigarette by an endwise movement, all constructed .and organized; substantially as hereinafter dedescribedand defined in the appended claims. I

Jlhe article 1oftmy, invention, its mode of use, and the advantages inhering therein will bereadilytunderstood when considered inconnectiori with the accompanying drawin2 WhiCh illustrates one practical embodimnt oztsthei-invention, and in which- Figure lzisa top plan view of the (agerette case. with the COVB-I'LthI'OW'Il open and showing a row of cigarettes therein, .and with the spring-pressed follower in fully retracted and locked position. Fig. 2 is an edge view of .thesame as seen from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. l is a top plan view of the case in close position with the cover locked, and a portion of the cover and front wall broken-out to disclose underlying parts. Fig. 5 is'a horizontal section showing the relative positions of the parts when the box has been about half emptied, and also showing in dotted lines the withdrawn position of the ejector and the foremost cigarette partially withdrawn thereby.

Fig. 6 is an inner face view of the follower-head. Fig. 7 is a perspective detail illustrating a catch for holding the follower in fully retracted position.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates as an entirety the body of the box, which, 1n the formshown, is a rectangular structure of, slightly greater thickness than the cigarettes adapted to be contained therein and has rounded front and rear ends 11 and12, respectively, flat side edges 13, and a flat hinged cover 14 adapted to close the open upper side of the box.

Slightly inwardly of whatlterm the foremostend wall 11 is secured an inner or false end wall 15, concave in crosssection, which wall, as shown in Fig. 5, extends something more than half the width of the box, and forms an abutment or stop for the foremost cigarette. In one side edge 13 and just inwardly of the outer end of the inner wall 15 .is formed an exit opening 16 that is of slightly greater diameter than the, diameter of acigarette such as the case is designed to contain. Slidably mounted against the rear or outer side of the wall 15 isanejector 17 that is formed in its inner end with an in wardly extending foot 18 normally .lying within a countersink or recess 19 in the other side edge of the box, and on. its outer end has a laterallyextending lugor. handle 20 normally overlying the side edge wall below the opening 16 .andadapted to be engaged by the thumb or finger pf the .user to withdraw the ejector. This ejector is spring-retracted, for which purposeitjs provided on its rear side. with a lug 21 to which is attached one end ofa tensile spring 22, the other end of which spring is attached to a similar lug 23 on the back side of the inner end of the fixed wall 15, said lug 23 extending through a longitudinal; slot 24; in the ejector 17.

The follower which acts .tonormally force the row of cigarettes against the wall 15 in position .to be extracted by the ejector comprises, in the form shown, a followerhead designated as an entirety by 25, a shank or stem 26, herein shown as of lazy tongs form, and tensile springs 27 which connect the foremost arms of the lazy tongs thereby constantly tending to expand the latter and advance the follower-head. Extending through i the forward ends of the foremost arms of the lazy tongs are crosspins 28 to which the ends of the springs 27 are connected, and which cross-pins also slidably engage slots 29 (Fig; 5) in the-opposite side nulls of.thejollowersheadflfi.

The rear ends of the foremost arms of the lazy tongs are preferably pivotally connected to the ends of a crossbar 30.

The cover 14 is locked in closed position by means of a small knob 31 on the inner side of the cover near its free edge which passes through a hole 32 in the upper side wall of the case and is engaged by the forked end 33 of a slide 34: that is secured by a pi'n-and-slot mount 35 to the under side of the upper wall of the case, and at its outer end has a laterally extending lug or handle 36 adapted to be engaged by the thumb or finger of the user to withdraw the slide and unlock the cover.

In its fully retracted position, the follower is contained mainly within the rounded end portion 12 of the case, as shown in Fig. 3, and is locked in such position when the slide 34 is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 1 by means of a catch 37 formed on the upper side wall of the follower-head 25 which, as the follower-head is ushed back, snaps beneath and behind a aterally bent tooth 38 formed on the forked inner end of the slide 34, to facilitate which the lower edge of the tooth 38 is given a rounded or cam form 38 as best shown in the detail view Fig. 7, the catch 37 having sufficient elasticity to flex beneath the cam edge 38' of the tooth and snap up behind its rear edge. The follower is thus locked in retracted position during the loadin of the box; and when this is accomplishe the cover is closed, and the slide 34: pushed in which simultaneously locks the cover and, by carrying the tooth 38 beyond the catch 37 the follower is at once released and exerts its pressure upon the foremost cigarette of the row. When the user wishes to extract a cigarette he merely seizes the lug 20, withdraws the ejector 17, the foot 18 of which by acting endwise upon the foremost cigarette forces the latter sulliciently through the exit hole 16 to enable it to be readily grasped and withdrawn, the'ejector returning to normal position when released under the action of spring 22.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent how the article described efi'ects the stated purposes and objects of the invention. My improved cigarette case, which, as hereinabove suggested, might, of course, be used for cigars or other articles of the general form of cigarettes and cigars. completely incases or incloses the articles, thus protecting them from breakage or other injury, and forms a simple and compact object readily carried in the pocket of the user.

Without limiting myself to the precise details of structure and arrangement shown and described, I claim 1. In a cigarette case, the combination of a box having a delivery opening in one side edge and a hinged cover forming in part one side wall thereof, a spring-actuated follower in said box operating to exert sidewise pressure on a row of cigarettes in said box and maintain the foremost cigarette opposite said opening, an ejector operative to force said foremost cigarette through said opening, and a lock-bar serving at one limit of its movement to unlock said cover and lock said follower in retracted position and at-the other limit of its movement to lock said cover and release said follower.

2. In a cigarette case, the combination of a box adapted to hold a row of cigarettes arranged side-by-side and having a delivery opening in one side edge, a spring-actuated follower in said box operating to press the cigarettes laterally and maintain the foremost cigarette of the row opposite said opening a stop-plate extending partially across said box just beyond said opening and formed with a rearwardly extending ing, an ejector slidably mounted transversely of the box directly behind said stepplate and slotted lengthwise to accommodate said lug of the stop-plate, an inwardly projecting foot on said ejector extending transversely of and limited as to its outward movement bythe inner end of said stopplate, a lug on the-back of said ejector, and a tensile spring connecting said lugs.

3. In a cigarette case, the combination of a box adapted to hold a row of cigarettes arranged side-by-side and having a delivery opening in one side edge and a lunged cover,

a spring-actuated follower in said box operating to press the cigarettes laterally and maintain'the foremost cigarette of the row opposite said opening, and formed with a catch member, an ejector operative to force said foremost cigarette through said opening, and a slidably mounted lock-bar having a catch member that, in the retracted position of said lock-bar, is automatically engaged by said follow-er catch member when said follower is moved to fully retracted position.

4. In a cigarette case, the combination of a box adapted to hold a row of cigarettes arranged side-by-side and haying a delivery opening adjacent to one, end of the box and a hinged cover formed with a looking lug adapted, when the cover is closed, to extend through the front wall of the box, a spring-actuated follower-head formed with a catch, and a lock-bar slidably mounted on the inner side of the front wall of the box and having a forked inner end adapted in its innermost position to engage said lug and lock the cover, and also having a tooth adapted in the outermost position of said lock-bar to engage said catch and hold said follower-head in retracted position.

5. In a cigarette case, the combination of a box adapted to hold a row of ci arettes arranged side-by-side and having a elivery side walls, a 1212 r wmso opening afijaoent to om email of tho box, loWer-heodl-engaging encls of s'aidl arms, em l follower comprising & follower-howl mm ed to laterally engafle the rearmosfn cigarette of the row owl formed with slowed tongs stem the arms of which are provlded with crossins slidably engaging the slots of saiol slde Walls, andi a tensile spring connecting tho foll= an ejector operative to force the foremost 1') clgaretto of the row fizhrough sold opemnge PATRICK S. UDQNNELL.

Witnessos:

SAMUEL N. Pom, A G. 

